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Top Current Affairs 15 January 2025
Economy and Banking

India's goods exports fell by 1% in December

  • India's goods exports decreased by 1% annually in December, 2024, reaching over $38 billion declared on January 15, 2025.
  • In December 2024, imports increased by 4.9% to $60 billion, reducing goods trade imbalance to $21.9 billion, its lowest level in 3 months.
  • In December 2024, gold imports reached $4.7 billion, a 55.4% increase from December 2023.
  • Between April to December 2024, imports increased to $532.5 billion, while exports increased to $321.7 billion.
  • In December 2024, petroleum product exports decreased 28.6% to $4.9 billion, while imports increased 2.2% to $15.3 billion.
  • Non-petroleum goods exports rose by 5.05% in December 2024 and 7.05% between April and December 2024.
  • Between April and December 2024, a 20% drop in petroleum prices led to a reduction in the value of petroleum exports.

 

The growth of India and China is expected to slow down in 2025

  • Moody's Ratings predicts slower economic growth in 2025 for both China and India compared to 2024 published on January 15, 2025.
  • India may profit from tensions in U.S.-China economic ties, even if U.S. trade policies carry significant dangers.
  • India's credit strength is expected to be limited by its budgetary circumstances, with a slow but steady fiscal reduction anticipated.
  • Moody's expects India's debt affordability to remain much lower than that of its peers with comparable ratings.
  • India's defence spending is expected to rise rapidly due to ongoing geopolitical tensions with China and Pakistan.
  • The administration plans to delay budget consolidation by prioritizing social welfare and job creation initiatives.
Science and Technology

One Submarine and Two warships commissioned by Indian Navy on Tri-Commissioning Event (Defense)

  • Indian Navy commissioned 3 frontline platforms, INS Nilgiri, INS Vaghsheer, and INS Surat, simultaneously on January 15, 2025.
  • Ceremony, attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan, Chief of Naval Staff Dinesh Tripathi etc.
  • INS Nilgiri is the lead ship of Project 17A frigates, INS Vaghsheer as the final submarine of Project 75 Kalvari class.
  • As well as INS Surat as the final ship of Project 15B destroyers.
  • INS Nilgiri honours Cholas naval empire, while INS Surat symbolizes India's ancient maritime connections with West Asia.
  • Under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan 39 out of 40 platforms recently commissioned by Indian Navy being manufactured in India.
  • India's transition to indigenisation is evident as over 5000 pieces of defence equipment are no longer imported.

 

The U.S. and Japan have successfully launched moon landers using a single rocket

  • SpaceX launched 2 lunar landers, Resilience and Blue Ghost, in a "rideshare" mission to Moon on January 15, 2025 using Falcon 9 rocket.
  • Private sector's growing significance in space exploration is evident in successful landing of Intuitive Machines on Moon.
  • NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program aims to reduce costs and foster a lunar economy.
  • Tokyo-based ispace has launched Resilience, a mini rover, following its first unsuccessful lunar landing attempt in April, 2023.
  • The Blue Ghost mission utilizes the Falcon 9 rocket's resilience to operate on Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander.
  • Lunar exploration has transitioned from well-funded national programs since 1966, towards commercial endeavours.

 

A new app has been launched to promote battlefield tourism

  • On January 15, 2025 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled the Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan app during Army Day festivities.
  • The app is jointly developed by the Indian Army and the Ministries of Defence and Tourism.
  • The app allows citizens to explore historic combat sites near India's borders like Kargil battles, Galwan clash site, and Siachen base camp.
  • It aims to transform border regions into tourist attractions, allowing the public to witness military bravery in person.
  • It aims to boost tourism in remote border regions, showcasing the bravery of Indian soldiers.
  • It is an inter-ministerial collaboration since it is a joint effort of the Indian Army, Ministry of Tourism, and Ministry of Defence.
  • Accessibility to tactical military sites in India can enhance the general public's understanding of country's military history and sacrifices.
Sports Panorama

Indian women's cricket team achieved India's largest ODI win

  • The Indian women's cricket team achieved their largest-ever ODI victory by defeating Ireland by 304 runs on January 15, 2025.
  • India women's cricket team surpassed Indian men's record of 418 runs against the West Indies in 2011 with a goal of 436 runs.
  • The groundwork for India's win was laid by Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal, who combined for 233 runs in just 26.4 overs.
  • Smriti Mandhana scoring a 70-ball century and Pratika Rawal a scored 154 runs off 129 balls.
  • Orla Prendergast (36) and Sarah Forbes (41) where the only real opposition as Ireland was bowled out for 131 runs in 31.4 overs.
  • Indian spinners Tanuja Kanwar (2/31) and Deepti Sharma (3/27) took a combined five wickets to destroy Ireland's batting order.
Awards and Honours

The Singapore President has honoured Tarun Das with Citizen Award

  • Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam awarded Tarun Das with Honorary Citizen Award on January 15, 2025.
  • Tarun Das is a former Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
  • Award acknowledges the significant contributions of a non-Singaporean individual to Singapore's growth and development.
  • The late Ratan Tata was the first Indian to win this honour, and Tarun Das is the second Indian to do so.
  • Tarun Das was described as "one of Singapore's strongest advocates in India" by the country's foreign minister.
  • As part of India's "Look East" strategy, Tarun Das led a group of Indian businessmen to Singapore in 1993.
  • A large business group is set to join President Tharman Shanmugaratnam during his formal visit to India.
State Affairs

Pune hosted the Army Day Parade

  • Pune hosted Army Day Parade on January 15, 2025, in honour of Field Marshal K M Cariappa's.
  • Theme of the 77th Army Day celebration, "Samarth Bharat, Saksham Sena," highlights the strength and dedication of Indian Army.
  • January 15 commemorates the establishment of Indian Army and the handover of military command to Indians after independence.
  • Parade in Pune will feature marching contingents, mechanised columns, and displays of advanced military technology.
  • The Indian Army has introduced a digital seat-booking system for parades using the Automatic Data Processing (ADP) 25 app.
  • Pune houses the National Defence Academy and Southern Command Headquarters.

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